jazz - a louisiana kitchen

ridiculouslygreatfood! the band and atmosphere was awesome. one of my favorite restaurants.

the food is nothing like louisiana food. my waiter was great. the food was horrible. this food is no where near the taste of louisiana food. the food was not seasoned at all. spice was over powering. i am from louisiana and i was offended that they are calling this food louisiana food. my kids even complained about the food. the jambalya and dirty rice was horrible, who puts tomato sauce or whateve that was inside of jambalya. i will never ever go back to this place and they are fooling their local people if they think this food taste like food from louisiana. people dont think that because the food is spicy that it is good and that thats what louisiana food is all about. louisiana food hasgreattaste and this food was not tasty at all. also what place does not offer french fries.

so so. i just wish you could order oysters without them being fried. food wasgreatand the service was great. the vibe isn't very jazz like, it's more like an american pub with cool stuff on the walls.

love the red beans.greatfood although the staff always looks grungy and the place has a dirty look and feel, which is kind of creepy, i love the blackened chicken fettucine alfredo and the andoullie with red beans and rice!! bread with garlic butter to boot!!

this is a wonderful restaurant.greatfood and service. will come ba ck the next time i'm in town.

luv it...greatprices. good atmosphere.

n'awlins alive and well in kc. jazz is a kansas city staple and one of manygreateateries in the 39th street district in midtown. it's reputation is well-deserved as the most authentic cajun/creole food in the metro. their menu includes many louisiana-style classics, as well as several menu items with their own twists. topping it all off, they have live music regularly and a bayou atmosphere that makes you feel like you've stepped right down into the heart of new orleans. one of the nicest parts is that their menu has a glossary of traditional cajun/creole cuisine terms, so diners won't be intimidated by the dishes with names to which they might not be accustomed.

mrs. audiophile and i recently visited on a tuesday night, and it was busy enough to feel inviting, but not so busy that it was hectic or crowded. we shared a plate of the catfish nuggets, which were prepared well. tasty, seasoned breading and moist, tender flaky catfish. it came with a sauce, and although i am a huge critic of the always-flavor-suffocating ranch sauce, this particular version was infused with spicy cajun flavors that complimented the nuggets perfectly.

any of the po' boys at jazz are worth a taste. my wife always gets sucked into getting the catfish po' boy, in spite of being curious about the rest of their extensive menu of classics, because it's so freaking good. it's also a nice, hearty portion--a sandwich that just as easily works for dinner as lunch. for myself, the scallops lafayette was beckoning. at jazz, the lafayette preparation is a creamy, cheesy bechamel sauce. smothered in that sauce are tons of freshwater scallops, chopped tomatoes and their wonderful dirty rice. this particular dish was not one of the ones marked as 'spicy' on the menu, but it had a nice undertone of heat, which should be expected of any cajun food worth it's salt. it was so delicious, but also so large that i was forced to take some home with me, and our waitress was kind enough to give me some extra dirty rice with my to-go box so that i could soak up all that extra cheesy goodness.

if you want to try a bit o' the bayou without having to drive to the gulf coast, or even leave kc, jazz is the place to do it. it's a little less refined than fellow kc-area cajun restaurant cafe roux, but at the end of the day, authentic cajun is about flavor and spice, not refinement. the flavors at jazz are more complex and enticing, which is why they get to carry the cajun food banner in the kc metro. to get the full-on experience, visiting the 39th street location (instead of the spot out in the legends) is an absolute must.

favorite restaurant in kc!greatfood,greatatmosphere, andgreatstaff.

a taste of new orleans.greatfood,greatmusic,greatatmosphere. there is a lot to like about this kc fav. i recommend the shrimp etouffee and/or the red beans & rice.

chuck me, suck me, eat me raw.. we arrived at jazz during dinner rush around 6:45 and were told it would be a 1 hr 15 min. wait. however, we were seated within 50 minutes, which wasn't too bad for a friday night. the host and hostess made the wait much easier. we were seated next to the live band which was a lot of fun and added a lot of entertainment. the atmosphere was very laid back and had a new orleans vibe. neither of us are not too keen on cajun food, so we might not be the best to judge the food... we started off with fried pickles which were the best we've had anywhere else. the only complaint we had was they were so good, we wish they gave more! they also give free bread with garlic butter and they didn't hesitate to give us more when we asked. it was fresh and delicious. lil cho had the half order of grilled chicken with garlic mashed potatoes and a veggie medley (7.99). the grilled chicken was really flavorful and juicy. the veggies were okay and the mashed potatoes were very yummy! the portion of the half order was just right and filled her up! pokey got the seafood platter for 10.99 that included fried cat fish, shrimp and oysters. it was decent, not the best he's had, and it was kind of bland. he thought it would have been better with popcorn shrimp. it was relatively small in size, so he was glad we had asked for the extra bread. we also had a side order of dirty rice which was really spicy, so we hardly ate any of it. the wait staff were really nice. for two of us, including an appetizer, tip and beverages (and a 50 cent charge in lieu of a cover charge was added to each item to pay for the live entertainment) it cost $40... which was not terribly bad, especially including the entertainment, which was a lot of fun.

this wasn't one of our favorite places that we've eaten at, but we would definitely go again.greatexperience andgreatfor a night out with friends. happy hour specials look great!!

i love cajun and this place takes me back to new orleans. i've been to new orleans (n'awlins) several times and cajun is definitely king. jazz is alsogreathere. we were at the one in olathe before the bbq moved in. the band was quite good. however i really liked the sandwiches of the one downtown. i liked copelands (in op before the steak place came in but now its gone too). i thought copelands was slightly better and has more variety then jazz. still the sandwiches i had have been good. but i am still looking for the best cajun food in the kc area.